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Socialist Alliance
The Socialist Alliance is a left wing political party (although it's exact position on the left is variable) in the Democratic Republic of Aloria. The party was a member of the 2nd Progressive coalition and one of the founders of the 3rd Progressive Coalition History List of Leaders Samuel Went 2543 - 2555 Richard Bates 2555 - 2562 William Fletcher 2562 - 2576 (although remained President of Aloria until 2577) Thomas Fenwick 2576 - DIED November 2583 Conrad Wilson 2584 - 2605 (disbanding) Alison Baker 2651 (reformation) - 2655 Henry Canning 2655 - 2678 Carlo Contadino 2678 - 2700 Gabrielle Wilson 2700 - 2718 Origins, Formation and Samuel Went The party formed after a mass demonstration against the far right policies of President Vincent Vanzetti V of the MLP in 2540. The demonstration was broken up by police forces after it got uncomfortably close to the Presidential Palace. However some members of the police force joined the demonstration against the President (including DCI Richard Bates later party leader. The demonstration was made up mostly of supporters of Alorian political philosopher and economist Samuel Went who presented his theories in a book entitled "Wentism and The Twin Theories of Undying Faith and Utopia". After demonstrates were scattered the leaders of the demonstration met in a cafe owned by one of the demonstrators. Among them were Thomas Fenwick (a member of the Utility Workers Union and later leader), David Salisbury (later Foreign Minister), Samuel Went and others. After much discussion they decided that protesting was not enough and what the country needed was a real Socialist alternative. A way forward in Parliament. A Democratic Revolution. 3 years later the Democratic Socialist party Was formed by the demonstrators from that fateful day. It's policies based on Wentist Socialism. The first leader was Samuel Went. At this time the leader was a position of almost absolute power in the party as the Socialist Leadership Council would not be formed for another 12 years. The party immediately became a very vocal force in Alorian politics although when it started it was still acting more like a protest group and so did badly at the polls gaining only 119,790 in it's first election The party however got a helping hand when the Democratic Rationalists invited it to join the 2nd Progressive Coalition. This was the party's clarification as a real political party and not just a rag tag band of angry young people. this also gave the party its first cabinet minister, Thomas Fenwick became Minister of Trade and Industry, a post he would hold for 30 years. This put the DSP exactly where it wanted to be. The anti-capitalist Socialists were now responsible for the industrial economy. Thomas Fenwick began forming "a police state for businesses" enforcing strict health and safety as well as environmental laws. In the election of 2547 the party won it's first seats in Parliament The New Leadership and The Rise of William Fletcher In 2555 Samuel Went stepped down as the party's leader. He had established himself as a Socialist hero across Aloria and the party is based on his ideals to this day. The favourite to succeed Went was the Minister of Trade and Industry Thomas Fenwick however Fenwick was from the Communist wing of the party which was a minority in the party and the moderates feared an extreme shift in party policy. Instead the leadership elections of 2555 were won by a moderate and ex-policeman Richard Bates. Bates was a quiet man and far less vocal than Went. During the early days of the Bates leadership the party still seemed to speak through Went. Bates is also a figure still up for discussion in party history. Some believe that the policeman is not given the credit he deserves since he was leader during the "great gains" where the party gained seats dramatically in elections. Others argue the gains would have happened anyway saying Bates was a weak leader and a nonentity in party history, simply filler material between the great leaders Went and Fletcher. With rumours going around that the DSP would get the position of Prime Minister in the next Progressive Coalition cabinet the hunt was on to find a person capable of filling such a post. The answer presented itself in a young councilor from Kurmal named William Joseph Fletcher. William Fletcher took the post as Prime Minister in 2557 but wasn't very active until the Alorian Public Union managed to pass a bill stopping government supplied contraception for religious reasons. William Fletcher hated theocracy and saw this as simply religious tyranny and greed by capitalist parties who supported the bill so they didn't have to pay for contraception. Fletcher convinced Richard Bates to support free contraception supplied by the party. As government condom machines were removed businesses installed DSP condom dispensers supplying Socialist condoms. These fetching red condoms were supplied across the country costing the party a fortune however dramatically strengthening the party's position in the country showing the people they were an active party willing to stand up for what was right. Businesses were able to advertise the presence of a DSP condom dispenser by placing a sign in their shop reading "Vote Democratic Socialist". As well as doctors stationed in DSP bases to perscripe the right birth control pills and give them out for free. Although the party has managed since to bring back government contraception Socialist Condoms are still available as well as doctors willing to provide birth control pills are still available at all Socialist Alliance bases. There are always small wars happening all over Terra. However one foreign ministry report which landed on Prime Minister Fletcher's desk caught his attention concerning the Holy Luthori Empire. It's people had voted with great majority to remove the monarchy in favour of a republic and the destruction of the theocracy which governed the Empire. However the former Emperor was returning to the country with an international monarchist force to overthrow the new government. However what caught the attention of the Prime Minister was a quote of the Emperor's saying that he would kill all those who supported the Republicans. Given this was most of the population this amounted to genocide. Fletcher wanted the Alorian government to lead the way for Democratic countries to support the new government. However the extreme isolationist right wing opposed this move saying we should keep out of another nations sovereignty, this was supported by isolationism on the left as well. Flethcher continuously lobbied President Ben Thompson to send Alorian soldiers into Luthori. A bill to send troops into Luthori went into Parliament three times and every time it passed. Fletcher had won over Parliament and the people as military recruitment sky rocketed with news of an approaching war. However President Thompson was still reluctant to send troops into Luthori. In 2562 Richard Bates resigned the leadership of the Democratic Socialist Party. A quick leadership election was called which named William Fletcher the next leader almost unanimously. At this time Ben Thompson was coming to the close of his Presidency and the DSP was given the Progressive Coalition ticket for the next Presidential Elections. In the DSP the leader is automatically nominated for the Presidency President William Fletcher The next elections were held in 2565 which saw William Joseph Fletcher become President of the Democratic Republic of Aloria. President Fletcher's first act was to act on parliament's wishes and sent 150,000 troops to Luthori to strengthen the Republican side. When peace talks were called Luthori was reformed as a Commonwealth with a constitutional monarchy but in all important senses Democratic. Fletcher saw this as a great triumph not only in the destruction of an Imperialist regime as he famously said "All monarchs are pretenders" but also an early demonstration of his administrations effectiveness and as a final break in Alorian isolationism ushering Aloria into the international community. However war is never without casualties. 548 Alorians had died in Luthori. Fletcher was at the airport whenever the bodies of dead soldiers were repatriated. Fletcher had created a fledgling democracy and created a lasting relationship between Aloria and Luthori. However Fletcher had still failed to deliver on his promises of economic and social reform in Aloria herself. It was this that defeated Fletcher is the subsequent election in favour of the nationalistic Peter Alderson. However his narrow defeat did not discourage Fletcher. Fletcher had promised to change Aloria and that is what he would do. The Progressives still controlled Parliament a force Fletcher considered more important. Fletcher began the process of building a Socialist economy. Over the next few years Fletcher began the process of nationalising key industries most famously energy production but other. Peter Alderson was a President with very little substance who seemed to attempt to cover this with patriotism. His speeches were full of rhetoric about how great the Democratic Republic was rather than trying to govern it. Fletcher constantly taunted Alderson about this referring to the Proud of Aloria party as the "Blinded by Patriotism" party. Fletcher also informed the people that if the President wouldn't do his job Fletcher would have to do it for him. Because Fletcher was acting as the nations figurehead as well as having the legislative assembly in the control of him and his allies the media began to describe him as "The President in exile". The public responded favourably to Fletcher's reforms and his leadership and re-elected him as their President. Fletcher continued his economic and social reforms as he had promised however with limited success. He successfully managed to nationalise Railway lines and telecoms. It was in his second term that he achieved his long term goal of restoring free contraceptives to all people however he failed in other ways such as guaranteeing child benefit to all citizens and restricting the powers of the president in favour or the supremacy of Parliament. he tried to ban Presidential Decrees, a corrupt system in which the President could act as a dictator and he tried to limit the amount of staff the President had stating: "I can cook and clean for myself. The only staff I need are my party and advisers. I am not an invalid" Fletcher failed in these aims but his esteem in the eyes of Alorians grew. The President trying to restrict his own powers in order to prevent a dictatorship was a powerful act. The President set his sights on one last goal. Staring up at the sky Fletcher saw the air filled with pollution and smog. Aloria's air condition was dreadful and was affecting the health of Alorians, Aloria's ,natural environment and the planet as a whole. He introduced his Green Act several times as has the party repeatedly after Fletcher but it repeatedly failed to become law. Fletcher spent his last years in office waiting for the end. Whatever happened he knew it was coming. The Democratic Rationalists would run next for the coalition. His concentration moving from the economy to social issues split him from his allies many of whom although agreed with him economically held socially conservative views. One famous cartoon shows Fletcher holding the "Double barrel shotgun of change" One barrel is labeled "Socialism" the other "Freedom" a small demon labeled "Alorian public Union" has jammed itself into the Freedom barrel which blows up in Fletcher's face. Fletcher had lost his allies in Parliament and also in his own party. In keeping with his new environment focus the Democratic Socialist Party became the United Socialist Green Party (USGP). This change angered many in the party who felt Fletcher was focusing too heavily on Green issues ignoring both Socialism and Social Liberalism. It is this Fletcher who all have turned on by all (Parliament and his party) who is least fondly remembered by the modern day Socialist Alliance. When citing Fletcher the SA will talk of the early Fletcher fighting against tyranny across Terra, the reformist President or the late Fletcher constantly fighting for what he believed in even though he was supposed to be out of politics. This mid-period is generally ignored. However Henry Lewis Canning's biography of Fletcher focuses mainly on this period. In "The Broken and Forgotten Hero" Canning argues that this Fletcher is one we should also be proud of. This Fletcher fought for what he believed even though everyone had turned against him. Not just Parliament but even his constant rock the DSP/USGP had turned on the President. In 2676 Fletcher resigned as leader of the USGP and a leadership election was held. It was won by Thomas Fenwick one of the party's founders. Fenwick's victory demonstrated a shift in party feeling to get back to basics and a shift away from the social focus of the later days of Fletcher. Thomas Fenwick and The Forming of the Modern Party The Fletcher years came to an end in 2677 as Thomas Fenwick won the leadership election defeating the Minister of Food and Agriculture Daniel Smith and Fletcher's wife in a leadership contest receiving 70% of the vote. The Fenwick years began on a high gaining seats in their first election with him as leader. Electing a new Progressive President Millicent Smith and having the Fletcher Doctrine of War accepted internationally. Comrade Conrad and the Fall of the Socialist Alliance The New Alliance War, Revolution and Alorian Nationalism Dealing with The New Right Administration The Leader The Deputy Leader The Socialist Leadership Council Formed in 2555 the Socialist Leadership Council (SLC) was created by the party founder, former leader and its first Chairman Samuel Went to restrict the power of the party leader. Before the formation of the SLC the leader ruled as an absolute authority over the party. Went was a great believer in the phrase "power corrupts" and wanted to stop this from happening to his own party. The SLC's job was to stop this from happening. It's power and duty was to + Decide upon party policy in a democratic forum made up from party members from all wings and areas of Aloria + To impeach the leader if he was becoming corrupt or no longer popular with the masses + To defend the core principals of the party and stop a "Third Way" Conservatives shift + To prevent party members accepting bribes and prevent conflicts of interest The SLC is made up 150 members. 100 of these are elected by members of the party across Aloria much like constituencies elect MPs, 20 are appointed by the current leader (this usually include his cabinet and himself)and 30 are appointed by the Chairman. The Chairman of the SLC acts like a party Chairman but also chairs the meetings acting like a Prime Minister in Parliament. He or she is elected by the 100 elected members of the SLC out of their number. Chairpeople of the SLC: Samuel Went 2555 - 2584 William Fletcher 2584 - 2602 Alice Gotting-Fletcher (temporary Chairwoman after Willaim Fletcher dies in 2602) 2602 - 2605 (disbanding) Michael Fish 2651(reformation) - 2680 Marcus Fenwick 2680 - ??? Category:Aloria Category:Political parties in Aloria